Just like Green Apple
by verbal acuity
Summary: NiouKiri - Niou gets to drag Kirihara around on his own birthday. What does Kirihara have to deal with now? - oneshot. Sort-of sequel to Kirihara's birthday one.


Disclaimer: I do not own. At all. Except the plot.

A/N: Hurhur. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIOU. Oh yeah. :D :D :D I really wanted to write NiouYagyuu, but I was lazy and lacking the attention span to do so. That and my personal Niou wasn't around to help me get into character as Yaaagyuu. :/ This is a sort-of sequel to "Say anything, and you die, Brat", in case you haven't noticed. Though this isn't up to par, I must say. I am sorry for that.

If you find any errors, please smack me to fix them. Thank you.

* * *

JUST LIKE GREEN-APPLE

"Niou-senpai, it's not my birthday anymore. That was three months ago. I'm not skipping-"

The smirk that spread across Niou's face was what shut him up. This made no sense. What other occasion was there for Niou to drag Rikkai's junior ace out of school to miss classes and practice _again_? Sanada was going to skewer them this time, really. And Kirihara really couldn't afford to miss any more English.

"What's that look for, senpai?" he asked warily, taking a step back. "I- er- I gotta get back to class, if you don't mind-"

Firm fingers wrapped around his slim, pale wrist and yanked him backwards into the older boy's chest, the other arm snaking around his small waist. "Mm, how could you forget, brat?" he purred, making sure to breathe directly into the other's ear as he did so. "After all, I remembered yours"- his tongue darted out to lick at the shell, causing the smaller boy to squirm- "and the rest of the team _tried_ to warn you..."

Apple-green eyes widened in shock. He'd forgotten Niou's birthday! But- No! That couldn't be possible. He had the days marked off on his calendar, December the Fourth circled with a huge red sharpie, indicating The Day of His Impending Doom™ ("Dooms Day, Akaya," the Yanagi of the back of his mind would say). He couldn't have-

Oh. He _did_ forget. He forgot to mark yesterday off with a green 'x'. Damn.

Squirming in the strong grip, he whined his complaints:

"Niou-senpai! I can't miss any more English!

"Sanada-fukubuchou is going to bludgeon me with a shovel if I'm not in practice!

"Yukimura-buchou will smile me to death!

"Yanagi-senpai's gonna open his eyes and turn me to stone like what Malificent did to the Wicked Witch of the West in The Odyssey!"

Niou chuckled. He was definitely a good influence, indeed. His now-becoming-frequent plans to steal his kouhai from class have just been made more interesting. Kirihara really knew nothing about English Literature. It was just a matter of time before the brat chose to cut class on his own. _That_ would be amusing.

"Oh, come on, kid. Live a little. I'll teach you English, myself, if it'll make ya feel better. Now, let's go." He tugged on the wrist that fit perfectly into the palm of his hand and moved to pull him along as he walked to the gate. That is, if Kirihara would actually _obey_. "What's wrong now?"

"Buchou, Fukubuchou, and Yanagi-senpai told me not to listen to anything you teach me in English, Niou-senpai." It must have been a trick of the light or something because something in those green eyes promised mischief. Kirihara was starting to cave and give in to his childish need for _danger_ and simple, plain, and overwhelming _mischief_. He was just a trickster in the making, wasn't he?

"Believe me, kid, you need to learn from me," Niou countered and flicked his free hand through his hair quickly. "You don't even know half of what you said, do you?" Confused green orbs peered at him questioningly. "Didn't think so. Now, c'mon. We don't have all day- well, okay, we do, but it's not like I want to spend my entire birthday with you, you're too bratty-" He sighed and stopped mid-sentence at the defeated look on the younger boy's face. "-Fine. Anyway, I'm just getting back at you for the laps you earned me in September."

"But, senpai, it was your-"

"Listen to me when I'm speaking to you. I'm your senpai, now shh."

Kirihara sighed and hung his head. He wasn't going to like today. Not at all.

- - - -

After much arguing, considering, and threatening, Niou and Kirihara made it out of the school perimeter and were on their way to- where was it again? Oh, right. It was a surprise. But it wasn't Kirihara's birthday, the ebony haired boy often informed his senpai, to which the latter only silenced him with a hand to that constantly yapping mouth. He briefly wondered what sort of body wash- or was it hand soap?- the Trickster used, because his hand smelled _good_. Kind of like melon, but not really. He couldn't figure it out.

Their train came to a stop and he silently- for once- followed Niou out and down the street once they left the platform. It wasn't a far walk, but then again, he was too lost in thought considering what the soap was and just where the hell it was they were going.

Until they stopped.

The junior blinked and stared at the huge cage. And blinked again. And again.

_Was... Niou-senpai locking him up?_ was the only thought running through his head as his older teammate smirked that wicked smirk at him, pointed to the very wild tasmanian devil in the cage, and said, "Unleash."

All Kirihara could do was stare. And stare. And stare. Until he had to blink to keep his eyes from drying out.

Unleash? Niou wanted him to _unleash_? Unleash _what_? That crazed tasmanian devil? WHAT?

"Niou-senpai, I- that's- you- _You want me to do what!?_" he stammered, face bright red at the thought of causing a zoo break. Though he had to admit... he did like the idea of being able to ride a gazelle down the streets of Tokyo. And maybe a few elephants. But the lion roaring a few cages down and the tasmanian devil right in front of him seemed a bit too much.

There was that smirk again. What now? Is Niou really that evil as to want to have zoo animals go berserk throughout Tokyo? Kirihara worried what his senpai made Yagyuu-senpai do when those two went off together after school ("Play cosplay dress-up and steal statues of dinosaurs while dressed as drag queens," his Yanagi-senpai voice told him and he shivered involuntarily).

"You... are more dense than I thought, bratling," the silky, smug voice said, those blue eyes piercing into his mind like icicles on a rare (sticking) snow day in Kanagawa. He could get lost in those eyes, he really could.

"...Huh?"

Niou chuckled again and shook his head. "Unleash _yourself_, you imp. Go play in the zoo _without_ pissing off a lion and getting your head chewed off. I don't need Yukimura torturing me for letting his baby get hurt, you understand?" He received a small, dazed nod in response. "Good, now, go. I'll be watching to make sure you _don't_ get into trouble and steal some insecure kid's ice cream. I am not paying you out of being sued."

With that, Kirihara scampered off to look at the gazelles, daydreaming about the possibilities of riding one down the busy streets. That'd be so awesome. But Niou would kill him. And he still hasn't completed his amazing Gundam collection, or beaten Street Fighter for the six billion five-hundred and eighty-six million two-hundred and thirty-six thousand five-hundred and eighty-second time. And he would not be complete until he beat it. Over and over.

A lion roared as he walked by. He grinned and stopped in front of the angry animal, taunting. "Hey, Tachibana-san," he said with a smirk, eyes gleaming. "Did they figure out that you're just a rabid little cub in need of a cage? Hehe, I'm really glad I beat you so hard you went to the hospital; otherwise you'd be infecting everyone with your rabies. See ya later!" he called, sidestepping the huge paw trying to aim at his head with a wicked laugh. Tennis helped in everyday activities, too, of course.

He hadn't realized how late it was getting in the day, and jumped so high when Niou's cold fingers slipped under his shirt and rested against the warm skin of his back. "Hey! What was that-" His protest was cut off as he was immediately warmed against the strong chest of his senpai. It actually felt good to be here, like this, when Niou was actually being _nice_. Though it still made no sense why Niou was being so nice to Kirihara on _Niou_'s birthday-

Wait.

He blinked a few times before settling on keeping his eyes closed and allowing for the warmth. It was a little cold outside, after all.

He understood now. He remembered the little folded-up, sorta-crumpled letter that was slipped into his pocket- the letter that was now sitting in an otherwise vacant drawer of his nightstand- and thought better of questioning the doubles player. He had the last three lines memorized. There was no way he could just _forget them_. It was probably the only time he'd get something somewhat of _admittance_ in his feeble, soon-to-be-senpai-less life until the start of high school.

'_P.P.P.S.: You better not be able to read this. And if you can, never mention it, or perish painfully._

_ilu._'

He smiled and relaxed into the arms. Now, he really wished that he remembered it was Niou's birthday. He would have written a little note of his own (though it definitely would have had terrible grammar). Niou didn't seem to care that it was his birthday. He only cared about being in Kirihara's presense.

- - - -

"Senpai, why are we taking the bus that goes to _my_ house? You can't walk me home on your _birthday_!" the junior ace whined as he clung to the bleached haired teen's arm, trying to drag him away from the #27 bus. "C'mon, please, can I walk you home, please? Senpai?"

Niou raised an eyebrow in confusion, then smirked. "No can do, kiddo. I'm not letting _you_, a brat _younger_ than me, _walk me home_."

"But-"

"Who said I was walking you home, anyway? Who said you were even _going_ home?" the Trickster asked, wrapping a firm arm around the slim waist and pulling him closer. "You're sleeping at my house tonight." Niou was completely sure about this. He didn't even care what his parents had to say about it anymore. He wasn't letting his favorite kouhai stay at home with his parents that just _didn't give a shit_. Since he admitted to something in a certain letter three months ago- whether Kirihara saw or not, though he was sure he did- he couldn't bring himself to be passive about anything anymore.

"But that's my bus over-"

"I'm a trickster, remember? You should know me by now, impish elf." He raised his dominant hand and lightly cupped the other's chin, tilting his head up to lock his own oceanic eyes with a feverish red, haunting his every dream- a color he knew so very well by now- not quite bloodshot, but damn close. Those eyes were more heated, more begging and needy, and the color of a perfectly red apple. God, how Niou loved when they changed color.

The red orbs fluttered closed the moment Niou's lips were pressed to his own and the salty sea could no longer lock with the enrapturing fire that gazed through his soul.

It felt like an eternity before the kiss was broken, and the taller boy was tugging his kouhai away and toward the bus that would take them to the Niou household, if it could be called that. Kirihara was dazed and dreaming when they finally managed to make it to Niou's front door and step inside. He'd never been to his senpai's house before, and it slightly unnerved him to actually sneak in, avoid the authorities- the Trickster's parents- and creep up to the messy bedroom that could only be described as _Niou_'s.

There was only one bed, though, which did honestly worry Rikkai's baby. Where was he going to sleep- on the floor scattered with probably more dirty than clean clothes and week-old candy wrappers and empty potato chip bags? He certainly hoped not.

"Er, senpai?"

A hum that sounded like bells chiming reverberated from the room and the door closed with an audible click, followed by the resounding locking noise. He was alone with Niou, and no extra bed of which to keep him from the floor.

"Senpai...," he tried again. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

The one half of Rikkai's D1 smirked at him, eyes gleaming. "The bed, of course, brat. Where else?" he asked teasingly, right hand reaching up to finger his mole. "You're sleeping on the bed, bratling. With me."

Kirihara chose to ignore the playful tone and innuendo. He was tired of the three months that he's been hiding this. He needed to say it now, and, what better of a time to say it than the night he's sharing a bed with none other than Niou Masaharu on said boy's birthday? It was now or never, and he wanted to say it now. But he'd have to _say_ it, not write it.

He allowed the Trickster to lead him to the bed and press their lips together softly, the calloused from tennis hands running through his messy ebony curls and trying to smooth out the endless knots there- it was a hopeless effort, but Niou couldn't help but do it. And Kirihara realized something; it took long enough- the whole day, basically- but he figured it out. He knew what his senpai's skin, his senpai's _hair_ smelled like.

"Niou-senpai," he said as they broke for air, apple-green eyes blinking their sight back so he could focus on the ocean that he was drowning in. "I love you."

That ocean widened and seemed like it pulled Kirihara all the way in, sucking, breathing him in... and Niou smiled. He actually _smiled_. The first genuine smile that the junior ace had ever seen from a trickster of Niou's calibur. And he loved every second of it, all through the breathtaking kiss that just pulled him back in. God, it felt good to admit it. It felt so good, and, as he was pushed down onto the bed- no roaming hands, no nothing besides those warm, teasing lips on his mouth, cheek, throat, collarbone- he inhaled the amazing scent that he could only imagine reminded Niou of his eyes. Green-apple.

* * *

End note: Whee. I FINISHED IT. I knew Niou's birthday was coming up. I KNEW. But I still didn't get around to doing it until, er... NOW. XD; I fail. I literally just finished it, er... ten minutes ago. I started it, er... three hours ago. lmfao. So sue me. I'M SORRY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIOU.

Please review~


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